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Renee Zellweger’s Face: The Media’s Brutality & Sexist Hollywood

Last week, the Internet exploded with people commenting on actress Renee Zellweger’s face. She appeared at an event in Hollywood, and it was reportedly her first red carpet appearance in years. Zellweger has not appeared in film for the past five years and she has not been spotted by the media since she turned 40. When she appeared at the event in Hollywood last week, people were talking about how dramatically different she looked since the last time she appeared in the public eye. Many people noted that five years out of the limelight in Hollywood is really long time, especially for a renowned and popular actress such as Zellweger.

Zellweger’s reemergence has sparked a conversation about women aging in Hollywood. Hollywood and the entertainment industry in general is notorious for being brutal towards women as they age. We as a society in general are too focused and judgmental towards women and their bodies especially as they age. People on the Internet and the media immediately jumped to the conclusion that Zellweger had gotten some kind of plastic surgery. The following day after the hysteria surrounding her new appearance, Zellweger responded by making a statement to People Magazine and said, “I’m glad folks think I look different! I’m living a different, happy, more fulfilling life, and I’m thrilled that perhaps it shows.”

Zellwegger discussed that her hectic schedule had a negative impact on her health and that she suffered greatly from exhaustion. She noted that living a happier, more slow-paced lifestyle, and being in a happy relationship with her boyfriend helped her tremendously. Zellweger also said, “People don’t know me in my 40’s, people dont know me as healthy for a while,” “Perhaps I look different. Who doesn’t as they get older!? Ha. But I am different. I am happy.” Did Zellweger get plastic surgery? Did she change her appearance so that she could get more acting roles in Hollywood due to the pressures that exist? Is Zellweger’s new look just a result of aging? I’m not really sure. I personally think that hectic schedules and fast-paced lifestyles can take a toll on the body. I think that if a person makes certain changes to their lifestyle that their appearance can change.

After looking at some photos of her from a few years ago, I do think that she somewhat looks different but I can’t say for sure that she got plastic surgery. It amazed me how the media blew this up and how long people kept talking about it. I think its funny how Hollywood is harshly criticized by conservatives for being “feminist” when clearly it isn’t. Women in Hollywood are constantly being judged by their appearances. Hollywood is in fact a culture that is dominated by primarily men and repeatedly puts women down.

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5 Responses

It is so sad that women are publicly scrutinized for a natural process. Often times men are deemed ‘silver foxes’ or otherwise praised for aging while women are put down. It is none of our business if she got surgery and she owes us no answer. I’m glad she is happy where she is. I was just watching E! News on the E! Network, something I usually refuse to watch. It was full of judgment, pointless stories, and fake looking hosts. It is disgusting that they are reporting ‘news’ on people’s looks and they are getting paid to judge people. The same goes for E!s other show Fashion Police. I think programs like this should be taken off air and celebrity ‘news’ should not be making headlines. There are more important things going on that we should pay attention to and what celebrities wear or look like doesn’t matter.

Yes, you are totally right, the actress Renee Zellweger’s face was a big deal in the media and on the Internet. I think the media is always focusing on women’s faces and bodies. Women’s bodies are targeted more in Hollywood and in the media as compared to the bodies of the white men. Why do people seem unable to leave Zellweger’s face alone? If she is saying that she changed her living habits and as a result of that she looks different, then what is the problem with that? It’s her life and her face, so why do people need to be so conscious about her face. Why can not the media just stop focusing on women’s bodies and faces and focus on other important issues.

Honestly, when I saw the pictures I thought she had surgery but this was a split second thought from seeing a yahoo homepage picture and headline. I don’t understand why so much time is being invested in focusing on this woman’s body. I don’t understand why these topics get so much attention but other issues related to bodies don’t. Such as about 40 protesting students being captured, killed and burned in Mexico. Or hundreds of Nigerian girls kidnapped from school and allegedly sold into marriage. I wish these stories had more views, comments, interest, action than Kim K booty, Nicki Minaj booty and Renee’s face.

Renee Zellweger has been very successful in the industry and I think she’s very talented. I love a lot of her movies. This type of thing proves no matter how much money you make or how talented you are, people tend to not see past physical appearance, especially when one is a woman in Hollywood. I really do hope she is in a good place because I can’t imagine being able to handle speculations about my face looking different. Have you ever thought about how we openly discuss about people we don’t even know and they know they’re being talked about???? I’m glad she’s around again and would love to see her in more films.

We can never win when it comes to stuff like this. We can opt to forego the natural aging process and are scrutinized for looking “old” (which, I mean…no shit). Or, we circumvent it by wearing makeup, dying our hair, undergoing surgical procedures, etc. and we’re told that we need to allow ourselves to “age gracefully”. I can’t speak for Zellweger, but it’s painfully obvious that Hollywood has a strong aversion to women her age. If she had work done because she thought it could help boost her career, then who are we to judge or mock her for that?